ANY hopes Upperthong held of winning this Under 13 game fell apart late in the second half when speedy striker Nick Rogers took advantage of tired legs to rattle in five goals.

There was little to choose between the two sides up until half-time and it was Upperthong opened the scoring after only 10 minutes when Leo Berry found room on the right to fire in a low shot.

With both sides missing several key players the game was never going to be a classic, but Elland-based Amateurs Luke Denton and Sam Davies eventually took control and their supply of passes to fleet-footed front man Nick Rogers eventually led to Upperthong’s downfall.

A Davies pass led to the equaliser when Rogers lifted a delicate chip over the keeper for his first goal of the game and it was Rogers who climbed highest moments later to direct a corner into the net to give Amateurs a 2-1 lead.

Luke Ellis-Craven and Ryan Steel did their best to keep Upperthong in the game, and had they managed to hold out until half time, the second half might have taken a different course, but when George Hulme rattled a 20-yard shot into the top corner to give the home side a 3-1 lead, Upperthong’s hopes were dashed.

Doug Hill and Ellis-Craven tried hard to make a breakthrough for Upperthong and the latter was unlucky not to score on a couple of occasions, but they were left chasing shadows as the power and speed of the Amateurs counter-attacks were too much.

Rogers, one of the division’s most dangerous strikers, went on to complete a five-goal haul, and further goals from Sam Davies and Ronan Murphy left Amateurs with a fine victory.